Did Vatican pay twice for contractor’s work in embezzlement case?
July 24, 2017
Investigators have unearthed a series of financial transactions that suggest a contractor was paid by two different Vatican offices for his work in a case that has given rise to the Vatican’s first indictments for financial misconduct.
Two former officers of the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesu Hospital face criminal charges for paying €400,000 from the hospital’s funds for renovations on an apartment owned by the former Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. However, the contractor who worked on the apartment was apparently also paid nearly the same amount by the Vatican City Governorate.
The contractor, Gianantonio Bandera—who was recommended for the job by Cardinal Bertone—eventually filed for bankruptcy and did not complete the renovations.
Neither Bandera nor Cardinal Bertone is a defendant in the Vatican trial, which will open in September.
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Further information:
- Questions multiply by the day in latest Vatican money scandal (Crux)
- Vatican tribunal rejects move to dismiss embezzlement charges against hospital executives (CWN, 7/18)
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Posted by: DrJazz -
Jul. 25, 2017 8:44 AM ET USA
If I ever need to hire a remodeling contractor, remind me not to ask Cardinal Bertone for recommendations.
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Posted by: james-w-anderson8230 -
Jul. 24, 2017 10:26 PM ET USA
How can the contractor who got paid three times for a job that was never completed not be charged with defrauding the church?
